Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal (“hyperglycemia”).  Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.  If diabetes is left untreated, it can lead to blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage, amputation, heart attack and stroke.

If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance.  With choosing a healthy diet, losing weight and being engaged in regular activity, blood sugar levels can be brought into control by increasing your insulin’s receptivity.  These are the areas that a registered dietitian can help individuals to manage their diabetes.

It is not easy to hear that you have the diagnosis of diabetes.  It is helpful to get an individualized plan created for you, taking into account what your current eating patterns are and what the goals are that you want to achieve.  We can help with understanding which foods affect your blood sugar levels and how to come up with a realistic plan to fit your lifestyle.  We can teach carbohydrate counting, review what is going on in the body from a diabetes perspective and what is in your power for managing the diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is caused by your immune system mistaking your beta cells (from which you make insulin) in your pancreas as foreign and attacks them.  This leaves your body without insulin (a necessity for life), thus not able to process glucose correctly.

We can help you to achieve a healthy diet, knowing more about which foods affect your blood sugar and which don’t, so that you can make informed decisions on a daily basis.

We can help you to understand the physiology of what is going on in your body, the mechanics of the medication and how to balance diet and exercise while keeping your blood sugar levels under control.